Gulf gets first female truck driver

20/01/2014

Fatima Abdulla Al Qaidom is reported to have overcome personal and cultural challenges to obtain her heavy vehicles driving license. The 30-year-old is part of a support programme designed to help women who face domestic problems.

"I was always fascinated by trucks carrying large consignments that you see on the highway or even in movies," she said. "But everyone laughed when I mentioned about driving these big vehicles one day in Bahrain.

"They never trained a woman to drive big trucks and it was something new to them. It was tough the first few weeks to find an instructor, but I finally did.

"It took some effort to first climb and get to the driving seat of a truck, but things just change when you're behind the wheel."

The woman completed her training programme and passed her test at the first attempt in November.

"Now I want to prove to everyone that women can indeed do anything and even if there are barriers they will overcome them," she added.